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Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 297, 23 October 1879, Page 2

Tiii) usual silling uf the 11M. Court takes place atMasterton to-day.

Tenders are invited for the erection of police barracks at Featherstoii, Toinoaua, M.H.K., has gone over to the Opposition.

The natives-at Parihaka are dying at the rate of two and three per day from fever.

The unemployed of Wellington have asked the Mayor to convene a public meeting. The Masterton String Band will play at the German and Scandinavian Ball this evening. We have received a letter signed " Enquirer. 1 ' Our correspondent is quite right in an objection lie raises, but the matter he objects to is too insignificant for public discussion. A West Coast paper says that complaint is made at Turakina of shortness of money. Lucky Turakina, in that it has only just found this out.

As a sign of the badness of tho times, we observo that no less than 450 policies were allowed to lapse in the year ending in June, in tho Government Life Assurance.

The Greytown Rifle Volunteers held their usual weekly drill on Tuesday evening, at which there were 28 rank and file. After drill the Captain informed them that on next Saturday night they will march out, headed by the Band. A meeting of creditors of Thomas Tankersly, farmer, Masterton, was held at Wellington on Tuesday, Mr Bishop in the chair. The assets wore set down at £583 14s lid, and the liabilities at the same amount. Mr Sullar was appointed trustee.

When Sir Hercules Robinson two months ago decided a question in favor of the Grey party, not a word was said in his disparagement by the opposite party. Now that it is feared that he may decide against the Grey party, there is a regular howl of indignation. It is a pity that there are not a few gentlemen among the Opposition! The usual monthly meeting of the committee of the Wairarapa Institute was held on Tuesday evening last, Present: Messrs Baillie (chairman), Skeet, Porritt, Stenhouse, Haines, Brooks, and the secretary. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The treasurer reported credit balance at the bank £7G 7s 4d, and that he had received a donation from the members of the Greytown Quadrille Club of £2, Mr Brooks moved and Mr Skeet seconded, That a vote of thanks be passed, and that the secretary be instructed to convey the same to the club for their donation. The following accounts were passed for payment:—R. Gardner & Co., £l3 7s lid; Liverpool, London, and Globe Insurance Co., £3 2s Gel. A letter was read from Mr C. R. Carter, farwarding a book—' Round the World Leisurely' -as a donation to the Institute. The secretary was instructed to acknowledge the receipt of Mr Carter's book. A letter was read from Messrs Lyon and Blair, stating that the Encyclopoedia Britannica would be forwarded as soon as the numbers were completed. The suggestion book was then read, and the secretary instructed to order books from George Robertson, Melbourne. Mr Haines moved, and Mr Porritt seconded, That in consideration of tho amount of work that will devolve upon the secretary and treasurer during the year, that he receive an honorarium of £lO, A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the business.

A few days ago, says the Times, a man named Phillip Wagland, formerly a constable, but who has unfortunately recently become insane, was travelling on the Feathorston and Wellington line in charge of a constable, his destination being the Mount Yiew Asylum, During the journey he attacked n guard named Page, who was speaking to the constable in charge of the lunatic, giving him a black eye and otherwise disfiguring his face. After this

the madman remained quiet until his arrival at Wellington, when a deal of force was required to get him out of the carriage. ' He is now an inmate of the Asylum.

Mv Frank Buckland thus describes the way in which the kangaroo got its name: When Captain Cook first discovered Australia, he saw some natives on the shore, one of Uiem holding a dead animal in his hand. The captain sent a boat's crew ashore to purchase the animal; and finding, on receiving it, that it was a beast quite new to him, he sent the boatswain back to ask the native its name, " What do you call this 'ere animal?" said the sailor to the naked native. The native shook his head and answered " Kan-ga-roo," which means in Australian lingo, " I don t understand." When the sailor returned to the ship, the captain said, " Well, and what's the name of the animal?" The sailor replied, "Please, sir, the black party say it's a kangaroo." The beast has kept this name ever since,

Late sales of shorthorned cattle (remarks an English paper) have not realised the inordinate prices of a few years ago, A marked shrinkage is observable in this as in so many other directions. Tho benefits conferred upon the community by those who have devoted so much attention to the raising of cattle which will fatten more than those of an ordinary breed, we should be the last to underate; but at one time the competition for beasts of the "fashionable" strain became a complete mania. When £3OOO wero given for a single heifer, people began to ask whether there was not some trickery in a trade which ran up prices to such a ridiculous height. There can be little doubt that the extreme anxiety of wealthy breeders to obtain the best blood did produce an undue inflation of prices; and the fall of nearly 50 per cent., which has been seen in the case of two or three recerit sales, will teach caution to the buyers of these works of "highart." The Inspectors of mines makes the following sensibly observation on the Wairarapa reefs: Various prospectors have been at work in the Wellington Provincial District, without asking for Government assistance; and quartz showing gold in the proportion of 12 dwts, to the ton has been found, and some of the prospectors are sanguine of further success. But, recognizing the necessity of promoting the search for fresh discoveries, a better plan would be to aid in the constrcction of roads and tracks through difficult or unfrequented country, leaving the actual prospecting to the uufettered action of the enterprising digger. The ardour and enthusiasm and personal resource which charactize the successful gold-discoverer are not to be bound down by regulation, or the restrictions of Government audit. Those who have made all the important discoveries in the colony did not previously make known 'their intention to prospect; and they would have disdained coming under any obligation as to reporting their intentions or proceedings. If the country is made accessible to the pack-horae, and the gold is, there, private effort will do the rest.

The Carterton Rifle Volunteers parade on Tuesday next.

Mr Macallister the Government auditor has been on a visit to the Wairarapa this week with a view to arranging a satis factory system of audit, in connection with the accounts of the County Councils. •■ ;

His Excellency the Governor, finding that Sir George Grey misrepresented him in the matter of the acceptance of the resignation of the Hon John Hall from the Legislative Council, has put on record a memorandum of the transaction, which shows up in a strong light the craft and duplicity of the late Premier. A meeting of the members of the Wairarapa Jockey Club will be held at the Rising Sun Hotel, Greytown, on Saturday next, when the following report will be submitted by the Stewards:—ln accordance with a resolution passed at the last general meeting, the Stewards paid a visit of inspection to the race comae, and found that the river had encroached about one chain within the poles marking the inside of the course, carrying away nearly two acres of the running ground. The protective works that would be required to make the property secure from any future floods would necessitate an outlay far beyond the means of the Club. The attention of the trustees has been called to the state of the course, but they are without any funds to spend on its protection although they are quite willing to assist the Club in any way that they are able. It is impossible that the race meeting can be held on the Tauherinikau course in its present state, and to put it in proper order would require a largo sum of money, as the old running ground would nearly all have to be abandoned, and a fresh course have to be constructed. This work could not be done to be ready to run on in February next. The Stewards then interviewed Mr Dudding, the present lessee of the course, who stated that he would be perfectly willing to allow the Club to take the course partly through his paddock, provided he got a guarantee for an extension of his lease. A good course could undoubtedly be obtained in this way, at a safe distance from the river, but it would would necessitate a very la>'ge expenditure for formation, and the stewards are of opinion that is not desirable to acquire a leasehold property, which sooner or later would have to be given up. The trustees of the race-course could not sell the property without being empowered by Act of Parliament, but they are authorised by an Act of Parliament passed in 1867 to exchange all or any part of it for land to be held on the same trusts. Mr Dudding might be inclined to exchange in this way for some of his adjoining land, in which case the grand stand and other buildings could be removed to a fresh site not far from their present one. But the action that the stewards most particularly recommend is that the trustees sliould be asked to get a Bill passed to empower them to Bell the present property, and invest the proceeds in a more suitable ground for racing, such ground not to be , of less extent than 100 acre 3, and nearer to the line of railway than at present. It would be but fair that out of the proceeds ' the trustees should pay to the Jockey Club a reasonable amount for the buildings \ that would be sold with the property which would enable the Club to replace them on ' the new course. The bill could be passed through the House during tho present session, and the new property would be ready to run on at the race meeting in 1881. For the present year, as the Club are bound to carry out the race for the Southern Chief Produce Cup, the stewards would recommend that one day's racing l sliould be held on some other racecourse . in the Valley, to be selected by the Club. , Mr Yennell kindly placed his paddocks at . the disposal of the stewards for tho eni suing meeting, but the stewards on in- > spection found them too stony to recom- ', mend the acceptance of Mr Yennell's , liberal ofl'er. The stewards will also bring [ up a report recommending several altera- [ tions in the rules, the principal being the 5 adoption of the scale of weights for age . lately agreed to by the Victorian and Aus- , tralian Jockey Clubs, and now in use by . the Christchurch and Duiiedin Jockey . Clubs.